


Smile More Dental Surgery

by burrfication



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Flirting, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Miscommunication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 07:51:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15262803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burrfication/pseuds/burrfication
Summary: Alexander Hamilton has been terrified of dentists all his life. When he is forced to face his fear, he meets Doctor Burr: a less-than-terrifying dentist with a terrifyingly perfect smile.





	Smile More Dental Surgery

**Author's Note:**

> cw: dentistry, phobias
> 
> That's it. There's no angst or trauma here, just fluff and bad flirting.

If there was one thing Alexander hated, it was going to the dentist.

The very idea of paying for such an uncomfortable experience disagreed with him. Over a decade had passed since the last time he had gone, dragged kicking and screaming by his exhausted mother. Less than a year later, his mother died. Without her patience and iron will to drag him into the dentist's office, he stopped going. None of his foster families had ever compelled him to go. Not even the promise of free dental care at university had won him over: free or not, he still hated dentists. No matter how bad a toothache was, Alexander ignored it. Pain was preferable to dentistry.

It was not until he broke a tooth clean off that circumstances drove him to act. He had no choice. No matter how desperate he was to avoid it, there was no way to get around the fact that he was missing half of one of his two front teeth. This was not something he could silently suffer through. Even if he could, the pain was so extreme he could not think straight.

The cause of the broken tooth was Eliza's baking: specifically a very rock-like batch of scones. Eliza, of course, was horrified. This was not the first time her baking had resulted in medical attention for her victims, but it was by far the most dramatic case. Alexander thought it could have been worse. His tooth had broken on his first bite, unable to break the hard crust. The resulting blood streaming from his mouth had provided a convenient excuse not to take a second bite. While Eliza fussed over him, Angelica took the opportunity to discreetly dispose of the offending scones. As much as everyone present loved Eliza, it was widely agreed baking was her greatest weakness. Not one of them had the heart to tell her. She was the kindest and most patient person Alexander knew: the last thing he wanted was to break her heart. That was why, when she begged him to let her drive him to her dentist, Alexander caved. The excruciating pain may have helped his decision, but Alexander would deny that point all fronts. He did not like to admit he was susceptible to such ordinary concerns as pain. He preferred to hold on to his pride.

"I'm not scared," he told Eliza as they pulled up outside the dental surgery.

"Of course you're not," Eliza said placidly.

Looking at the building, Alexander never would have guessed at the horrors held within. The building was a perfectly ordinary house in uptown Manhattan, a few blocks north of Central Park. Some pot plants sat by the entrance, and only a small sign by the door gave away the true nature of the place. It took Eliza opening the passenger side door for Alexander to exit the car, cringing the entire time. He shuffled up to the surgery door like a man going to his grave. Alexander's heart pounded with terror. He could feel himself sweating, and the world seemed to spin. Beside him, Eliza was completely unaffected by the dread that had seized Alexander's heart. She was a firm and reassuring presence beside him, even if he was baffled by how calm she was. Eliza was not a stupid woman. It made no sense to Alexander that she did not share his perfectly rational desire to run.

Inside, Eliza matched him up to the receptionist and flashed her most charming smile.

"Excuse me, is there any chance Doctor Prevost is available? My friend just broke his tooth."

"I'm afraid Doctor Prevost isn't taking me patients at the moment, and even if she was, she's booked out until March. Doctor Burr just had a cancellation though. I can squeeze you in this afternoon. "

Eliza's face fell. "Alexander isn't fond of the dentist. I was hoping to send him to someone I knew. I thought it might make it less, well, intimidating. "

"Even better to see Burr then," the receptionist said with a laugh. "Prevost is gentle, but she's very strict. Burr is the patient one. He takes all of the dental-phobic patients: he'll take good care of your friend."

"I bet," Alexander muttered. Eliza shushed him and ushered him through to the waiting room with a stack of forms to fill in. He hesitated when the forms asked when he had last visited the dentist. The exact date escaped him, but he remembered clearly fighting his mother every step of the way. He couldn't have been more than twelve. That put at least fifteen years since his last visit, maybe more. His attitude had not changed one bit. Kicking and screaming may be beneath him now, but it was only his sense of pride that kept him quiet and nonviolent.

Once he had completed the form, Alexander found himself with nothing to do but wait. Alexander quickly learnt to hate every little aspect of the waiting room. Each tick of the clock made him want to flinch, and the intermittent bubbling from the water fountain was no more welcome. The stack of magazines might ordinarily have held some interest, but Alexander's attention was too scattered for him to read National Geographic or the Economist. He might have just managed one of the gossip rags lying about, but Alexander would not lower himself to that level. He may be a coward, but he was a coward with standards.

Above all else, Alexander hated any reminders he was in a dental surgery. Posters around the room proclaimed the benefits of flossing, or advertised tooth whitening services. They were an inescapable reminder that the otherwise innocuous waiting room belonged to a pair of tooth- stealing sadists. No matter how hard Eliza tried to distract him, his eyes strayed to a cartoon of a smiling tooth. The more he stared, the more horrified by the image Alexander was. The tooth itself had teeth and a tongue visible behind the lifeless mockery of a smile. It brandished a toothbrush in one hand like a staff, and Alexander found himself staring at the cold, empty eyes. The room started to spin before Alexander's eyes.

"Mr Hamilton? Doctor Burr will see you now. "

The sound of his own name made Alexander jump. A dental nurse waved him through, and Eliza gave him a pat on the shoulder and wished him good luck. He halted for a moment in the doorway of the room before he took a deep breath and stepped in. The dental chair loomed larger than life in the centre of the room. Alexander could feel his heart pounding in terror. There did not seem to be enough air in the room, and Alexander's head spun. Every instinct he had screamed at him to run, but his feet remained rooted in place. Before he managed to get moving, the dentist turned around and Alexander's heart sank.

He had never considered the possibility that dentists could be attractive.

His last dentist had seemed terribly old, balding and pale with beady little eyes magnified by his glasses. This dentist was nothing of the sort. He could not have had more than a year on Alexander, and they were of a similar height. When he smiled in greeting, his perfect white teeth flashed against dark skin. If Alexander had not already been feeling light-headed, that smile would have been enough to do it. It was bright and perfect and hypnotic. This Burr must be a true sadist, Alexander decided, to be a dentist and smile like that.

"Doctor Burr, sir?" Alexander asked. He immediately regretted speaking: both from the pain in his mouth, and the sudden awareness that he was missing a conspicuous chunk of tooth. He poked at the gap with his tongue. The remnant of the tooth was jagged and rough, but no more blood flooded into his mouth.

"Alexander Hamilton. You're the emergency patient, is that correct?"

"I'm never eating scones again, " Alexander said. Burr's smile widened, and he chuckled a little.

"You broke a tooth on a scone? It sounds like quite a story. Before we get to that, however, I'd like to ask a couple of questions about your dental history. It says here you haven't been to the dentist since the nineties?"

"It's not my fault your kind are evil," Alexander insisted. He crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. He only could have looked more childish if he had stuck out his tongue (which he seriously considered doing). The exaggerated response disappeared seconds later as a bolt of panic ran through Alexander. Taunting the man who was about to takes a drill to his teeth was not the wisest idea Alexander had ever had.

To his relief, the dentist only smiled at him. It was a pretty smile, smooth and charming and distracting enough that Alexander almost forgot what the man was. "And that explains why. Is there anything you can think of that would make you more comfortable?"

"Like what?" Alexander asked, deeply suspicious.

"Some people prefer to listen to music while I work. Others like to bring a friend along with them, or see dentists only of a certain gender."

Alexander shook his head mutely. The man looked at him, thoughtful and not without pity.

"If you need anxiety medication, I have a friend who works as a GP. He can provide any prescriptions you need."

"I'm not taking any pills, " Alexander snapped. He almost felt guilty about the venom in his voice, but he told himself be had every right to be angry. He was not a child to be coddled. And quite apart from the damage to his pride, the only thing more horrifying to Alexander than the idea of enduring drills and metal in his mouth was the idea of trusting a dentist with those same drills while he was incapacitated.

If Burr was offended, he didn't show it. He waited for Alexander to pull himself together before continuing. "Given how long it's been since your last visit, I'd like to start with a check up."

"And what does that involve?"

Alexander's voice was dripping with mistrust and anger, but Burr pretended not to notice. He gestured to the chair in the middle of the room, and Alexander's heart nearly stopped. The sickly green plastic should not have been intimidating, but Alexander was petrified. For a moment, Alexander considered bolting. He glanced over at Burr, intending to weigh him up and decide if he could outpace him. Looking at him was a mistake. There was nothing but patience in Burr's expression, but it was enough to prick at Alexander's pride. He was not some thin - skinned crying baby that needed to be handled with kid gloves. He sat in one defiant movement and stared at Burr.

If Burr thought his behaviour was strange, he didn't show it. Instead he simply proceeded with the promised explanation. He explained everything he planned on doing and why in plenty of detail. He held up every tool he would need for Alexander to examine, making sure he understood what each component was for. As much as Alexander hated to admit it, it helped. His fear did not leave him, but the tightness in his chest loosened enough that he could breathe.

The terror came surging back when a dental nurse handed him a pair of sunglasses and told him to sit back. He put the shades on with shaking hands. The reclining chair made a quiet whirring noise as he was lowered back.

"That's it," Burr said, as though he had done something worthy of praise. "When you're ready, open up. If you need me to stop for any reason, raise a hand."

Alexander gulped. He clenched his hands into fists by his side and opened his mouth for Burr. As tempting as it was, Alexander did not close his eyes. The situation may have been awful, but if Alexander did not watch, he would have no way of knowing if things went well.

Unlike what little he remembered from his last dentist, Burr completed his work with quiet efficiency. The only time he spoke was to give the nurse a string of numbers followed by some technical term or other. The mystery made Alexander's skin itch. Why couldn't dentists speak plain English? All this jargon sounded suspicious, and Alexander never had coped well with not being in on the secret.

As much as Alexander hated to admit it, Burr seemed to be skilled at his job. At no point did any of his tapping or scraping hurt. He drew no blood, and his fingers were nimble and slender enough that Alexander's jaw did not ache too badly from holding his mouth open.

When Burr finally sat back and let Alexander return to an ordinary seated position, there was a frown on his face. "I can fix your tooth, but if that's all you're willing to have done, I'm not convinced it's worth the effort."

Alexander could have sworn his heart stopped for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"Your teeth are a mess. There's several cavities, your wisdom teeth are pushing everything out of alignment, and the fillings from your previous dentist have collapsed. At this rate, you'll be lucky to have any teeth left by the time you're forty. You must be in agony."

Burr was not wrong. Alexander had learnt to ignore tooth aches. He would not even take painkillers for them unless he was alone, in case some well-meaning friend tried to take him to a dentist to get it sorted. He refused to chew using the left side of his mouth. And that was not touching on the almost constant headaches Alexander had come to accept as an unavoidable part of life. If Burr was offering a release from that, Alexander would be sorely tempted.

"What do you propose?"

"First, I'd like you to get some x-rays taken. With a case as complex as this, I'd be hesitant to do any work without checking for any underlying problems. I can give you a referral for that. If you're willing to take my recommendation for clinics, I might be able you get you a discount.

"Once that's done, we'll need a follow up appointment to discuss your options. I'm not going to tell you what needs to be done, Alexander. I can explain what I think needs to happen and why, but the decision is ultimately yours. All I can do is make sure that it's an informed decision."

His suspicions were confirmed: Burr was a sadist. That was the only explanation Alexander could think of to explain why he was forcing Alexander to choose to go to the dentist. Logic insisted it was the only rational choice. From what little he knew about teeth, Burr seemed reasonable. Eliza trusted this clinic. If going along with what Burr said would prevent more serious dental problems in the future, Alexander had little choice but to cooperate. The only thing that terrified him more than the idea of submitting to Burr's mercy was being forced to seek help from an unknown dentist in the future - someone with no endorsement from Eliza and, knowing dentists, a probable lust for blood.

Alexander agreed to Burr's plan, although he made no effort to hide his resentment. His next appointment would be the following week. For now, he was free to leave (so long as he agreed to get his xrays done and floss regularly). Eliza was waiting for him by the front desk, still looking guilty.

"Can he help?"

The look Alexander sent her was mournful. "I have to come back next week."

The grimace on Eliza's face was gratifying. They both knew exactly how much he would hate that.

"I could come with you?" she offered. Alexander shook his head. He was a grown man. He would face his fears alone, no matter how strong the queasy feeling in his stomach was.

Despite his resolve to go at it alone, Eliza insisted on taking him to his x-ray appointment. As ashamed as he was to admit it, he was glad she did. The x-ray process was worse than he could have anticipated. Two bits of plastic were used to force his lips open and out of the way like some kind of exotic gag. He then had to put his head in a metal frame and hold still as a machine zipped around and flooded him with blinding light. He left the room dizzy and shaking. God, Burr could have at least warned him about what dental x-rays involved.

One week later, Alexander was back in the waiting room of Smile More Dental Surgery. He had planned on working while waiting for Burr, but his anxiety destroyed that idea before he could even pull his laptop out. Instead, he entertained himself by staring at the other patients. There was a young man waiting to see the other dentist, looking far too calm for Alexander to trust his sanity. While Alexander watched, the young man was called in and an elderly woman took his place in the waiting room. He trusted her judgement even less. At her age, he'd count his teeth as a lost cause and simply wait for death.

It felt like an age before he heard Burr's door open, although the clock insisted it had only been ten minutes. His previous patient had been a small child, still young enough to be accompanied by her mother. Alexander had never heard of a child happy to be at the dentist before, but the girl seemed positively cheerful. She left Burr's office with a bounce in her step. As her mother paid the bill, Burr crouched down to her height to talk to her. With a grin, he pressed one finger to his lips in the universal gesture for quiet and handed over what looked like a small toy. When he stood back up, he made eye contact with the girl's mother and winked. So that was how Burr had cheered the girl up: open bribery, with the added thrill of letting the children think they were in on some big secret. Alexander was grudgingly impressed. It was more than most dentists would do to reassure a patient. The observation disturbed Alexander. If he didn't know better, he would have thought Burr had a heart.

Once the pair was gone, Burr gestured for Alexander to follow him through.

"Take a seat, anywhere you like," Burr told him. Alexander considered his options. There was a rickety old chair in the corner covered in peeling red fabric; there was Burr's personal office chair by the desk; and of course, there was the dreaded green recliner in the centre of the room. He risked a glance at Burr. The dentist had his back to the rest of they office as he swapped out all his tools for newly sterilized ones.

Contrary impulse seized Alexander. Without a second thought, he took Burr's luxurious desk chair for himself. The red chair looked at risk of imminent collapse, and Alexander would be damned before he willingly sat in a dental recliner. Besides, this was a chance to test Burr. His patience must have a limit, and Alexander would be much happier knowing where that limit was before he let him stick his fingers in his mouth a second time.

When Burr turned around, Alexander grinned impishly at him, entirely unrepentant. Burr did not frown or audibly sigh, but his lips pressed together a little tighter than before. Irritation was the most likely cause, but until he knew the man better, Alexander was not willing to discount the possibility of amusement. He did not, as Alexander had expected, tell him to move. Instead, Burr sat himself down in the dental recliner with his legs hanging over the side, so he could face Alexander. The shock must have shown on Alexander's face, because Burr smiled.

"I did wonder if I'd see you again."

"You're the one that asked for a second date," Alexander muttered.

"And you even sent the x-rays I asked for," Burr said, continuing as though Alexander had not interrupted him. "That's going to make my job a lot easier. Do you want to see your x-rays, or would that make you more uncomfortable?"

Against his better judgement, Alexander agreed to see the xrays. He took comfort in Burr's approving nod. Even if Alexander hated everything this entire situation, there was something comforting about knowing the man wanted him to be informed about what he was proposing. If Burr thought Alexander might be checking up on him, he was far less likely to propose something unnecessary. Actually checking up on him might be a step beyond what Alexander wad actually capable of - but Burr did not need to know that.

The most glaring feature of the x-rays was Alexander's broken tooth. It had snapped clean in two, and the resulting gap in the middle of the x-rays was obvious. Left to his own devices, Alexander could not have identified any further problems. Burr could. He brought Alexander's attention to the angle of his teeth and complimented his jaw structure. Before Alexander had time to appreciate the odd compliment, Burr moved on to point out the way his wisdom teeth were coming through. Luckily, his wisdom teeth were coming through late. Burr provided exquisite detail about what would happen if Alexander did not get them removed before they erupted. He also pointed out where Alexander's old fillings had collapsed or fallen away. Burr did not hesitate to point out that much of the damage could have been mitigated with regular maintenance, but he did concede Alexander's last dentist left much to be desired.

"All in all, I think your friend did you a favour. You and I are going to see a lot of each other for the next few months, but once that's done you won't have to see me for a year. If your teeth were much worse, that would be different. Long term orthodontic work or more serious dental damage could have taken years to fix. In the worst cases, there is no way to fix they problem: only to maintain the status quo."

"Years," Alexander echoed. There was a swooping feeling in his stomach born of pure horror. He knew just enough about teeth to know orthodontic work meant braces. His mind conjured graphic images of exactly what it might feel like to have metal welded onto his teeth, forcing the shape of his jaw to change. Alexander shuddered.

"Years. Modern braces are a lot less intrusive than when I was a child, but they're still unpleasant."

Alexander gave him a sideways look. "So that's why your teeth are so perfect."

"Given my line of work, it would be hypocritical of me not to take care of my teeth."

Burr's tone was mild, and Alexander was left wondering if the words had been a joke or reprimand. Whichever it was, it unsettled Alexander. Burr must have felt otherwise, as he did not hesitate to continue talking about Alexander's teeth.

According to Burr, they had three priorities to balance. The first was damage reduction. Between the wisdom teeth, cavities and broken tooth, Alexander was at high risk of more serious complications. That, the two both agreed, took a high priority. After that, they disagreed. Burr was concerned with pain management. There was a collapsed cavity that Burr claimed should be agonizing, but Alexander was used to pain. It was nothing some painkillers and a few beers couldn't numb. Alexander was more concerned with how he would cope with all the dental visits. Prudence said he should get the work over and done with, but no matter how he tried Alexander could not muster the courage for more than weekly appointments.

After long debate, Burr blacked out every coming Friday afternoon for the next six months. The sight of his calendar filled Alexander's heart with dread. There was little Burr could say to console him. The man was trying to be kind, but at the end of the day, he was a dentist. Alexander could never see him as anything more than a sadistic monster.

The debate ended up consuming their entire consultation hour. Burr walked him to the door, steering him right past the reception desk. He refused payment for the day's appointment on the grounds it was a follow up. Neither of them mentioned the thousands of dollars he would be extracting from Alexander in the coming weeks. Alexander could only hope his insurance covered this clinic. Burr was undoubtedly evil, but he was a known evil. Having to find a new dentist covered by his insurance would be almost too much for Alexander to bear. The thought plagued Alexander all night long, and he could not sleep.

When the rebate came through a week later, he breathed a sigh of relief. There were perks to being friends with the man who owned your company, and generous benefits was one of them.

As much as Alexander dreaded Friday afternoons with Burr, the appointments became a routine. That was not to say he lost his fear of dentists. Adrenaline flooded his veins each time he passed the surgery door. When the central chair reclined backwards, Alexander's head would spin as he forgot how to breathe. But there was progress. At first, he gagged and choked nearly every time Burr's fingers passed his lips. It was a psychological reaction, not a physical one. Burr's hands were not large. They were ordinary hands with long, clever fingers that Burr used to reach into Alexander's mouth with minimal discomfort. His touch was delicate and unobtrusive. From what little he knew about dentists, Alexander suspected Burr was very good at his job. He was certainly better than the dentist Alexander had seen as a child, and most of Alexander's friends had some complaint or other to make about their dentist. The only exception was Eliza, who saw the other dentist at Burr's clinic. Alexander had only ever heard rumours of Doctor Prevost, and he was glad he had ended up with Burr. Prevost may have been an excellent dentist, but descriptions of her work terrified him. Of the two, Burr reportedly had the best bedside manner. He certainly had more patience, and Alexander would grudgingly admit that was something he needed.

Over time, Alexander found himself revising his opinion of Burr. He still firmly believed he was a sadist, but he was a remarkably human one. The more Alexander learnt about him, the more fascinated he became. He enjoyed talking with Burr, and bickering even more. More than once, he caught himself starting an argument for the fun of it. Burr was everything Alexander could have wanted from a debate partner. He was a genius, nearly as smart as Alexander himself; his arguments were precise and eloquent, and Alexander had no doubt Burr must run rings around lesser debate partners. He did not state his claims outright as Alexander did. Instead, he hedged his arguments and dodged disagreement, all the while weaving a complex web. More than once, Alexander found himself trapped on all sides, with no choice but to agree with Burr or retract his own arguments. It was the most fun Alexander had had in a long time.

"You missed your calling," he told Burr after one particularly masterful performance. "You should've been a lawyer."

Burr laughed. "I considered it, but to get a scholarship to my preferred law school, there were compromises I couldn't make. I thought by going into medicine, I could at least make a difference. "

"And now you're a dentist, " Alexander said. The flat tone of his voice spoke volumes about what sort of difference he thought Burr was making.

"I didn't plan on ending up in dentistry. It was only after I started studying the subject that I realised how fascinating mouths are."

Alexander had never heard anything less relatable in his life. "The only fascinating thing about mouths is what they can do."

Burr's answering laugh was too smooth for Alexander to believe. It took Alexander a moment of close observation to realise Burr was flustered. It was well concealed: if Alexander had not been seeing him so regularly, he never would have guessed. Burr had pulled back behind a tightly controlled mask to cover his embarrassment, but Alexander did not miss the way Burr was suddenly unable to meet his eyes. As soon as he identified the embarrassment, the reason why hit him. Burr's mind had gone straight to the gutter. He had known exactly what Alexander was referring to when he had talked about things mouths could do, even if he pretended ignorance.

A sly grin spread over Alexander's face. Dentist or not, Alexander had to admit Burr was handsome. If they had met under different circumstances, Alexander would have charmed his way into Burr's bed weeks ago. He was not Alexander's usual type, but Alexander had found himself entranced nonetheless. Burr fascinated him. If things were different, Alexander would have loved unravelling the mystery of Aaron Burr.

Burr's occupation may have prevented that, but that didn't mean Alexander wasn't allowed to flirt. Flirting came as naturally to Alexander as breathing.

"Surely you must know about how versatile mouths can be Doctor Burr, sir. "

"Of course," Burr said, his tone even and mild. "Given how much of my life I have spent studying them, it would be remiss of me not to be an expert. "

The words were delivered completely deadpan. The embarrassment Burr had shown moments ago had vanished, and Alexander was left wondering if he had imagined it all together. No matter how he stared, Alexander could not see any indication Burr was talking about anything but teeth. He felt a rush of disappointment. Whether it was wishful thinking or not, Alexander was left with the realization that embarrassing Burr was something he wanted. It did not come from a place of malice. If it had, Alexander might have been more comfortable with it. Instead, he found himself thinking about the little smile Burr got when Alexander caught him off guard. It was a private smile, not like the dazzling grin which showed off all his perfect teeth. Even if he had no claim over it, Alexander felt fiercely possessive of that smile.

His flirting may not have been a success, but Alexander had never been one to back down from a challenge. Flirting with Burr became a hobby of his. It was not enough to make him look forward to his visits, but it gave him something else to focus on instead of the all encompassing terror that gripped him at the mere thought of dental work. It was hard to be terrified of Burr when Alexander had caused a thousand little cracks in his composure. Alexander soon learnt to cherish each and every reaction he drew from Burr. Even the smallest action could reveal a wealth of information.

In the course of teasing Burr, Alexander learnt all kinds of things about him. He found himself building an image of Burr that was entirely separate from his profession. Despite being a dentist, Burr proved to be a real person. To Alexander's astonishment, he was a person Alexander liked. He was witty. When the mood took him, Burr's tongue could be as sharp as Alexander's, tempered with a dry sarcasm that Alexander would never have the patience to match. He was proud, too, something Alexander could relate to. He had likes and dislikes, good days and bad days, much like any other person. All this spelled trouble for Alexander. So long as he thought of Burr as a dentist (cold, sadistic, heartless), he could safely hate him. If he acknowledged Burr was a person, then he would have to confront the warm glow in his chest whenever Burr smiled at him. He'd have to acknowledge the butterflies in his stomach were no longer driven by fear.

If he had thought there was any hope in entertaining such thoughts, Alexander might not have denied them. But Alexander knew better. There were a hundred and one reasons developing a crush on his dentist was a bad idea. Most of them Alexander was willing to ignore, but there was one even he could not get past.

Burr had a partner.

Burr spoke about his partner with the highest praise. At first he only referred to her as such, but soon Alexander learned her named. Theodosia. Theodosia had met Burr in the first week of college, and the two of them had been inseparable ever since. To hear Burr talk, one would think Theodosia had hung the moon and the stars. He adored her. Alexander might have found the open adoration sweet, if he had not been busy burning with jealousy. Whenever he spoke about her, his entire face lit up. She had, Burr claimed, supported him through the most difficult parts of his life. Her judgement was flawless, and there was nothing she could not do. There was no one Burr trusted more. It sounded like something out of a fairy tale, or perhaps one of those romance novels Alexander's latest ex had been so obsessed with. Was that what love was really like? Alexander tried to tell himself it was good Burr had someone like that in his life. It _was_ good, but not enough to rid Alexander of his all-consuming jealousy.

There was a silver lining. Visits to the dentist no longer filled Alexander with half as much fear. When the terror started to rise, he endured it. If nothing else, he could distract himself by admiring Burr's ass.

His newfound bravery had benefits for Burr, too. The next time Burr suggested carrying out a procedure under general anaesthetic, Alexander agreed without hesitation. The idea still made him want to vomit and run away, but he trusted Burr enough to let him have control while Alexander was helpless. They made an appointment and booked Alexander in for day surgery.

Alexander walked into the hospital with his head held high. The hospital was crowded with people with all kinds of ailments, from broken bones to ruptured appendixes. As these things went, Alexander's scheduled procedure seemed tame in comparison. There were two other patients of Burr's there. One was a young woman in her twenties getting her wisdom teeth out; the second was a young child who would not stop crying. Of the two, Alexander related more to the crying child. Pride was the only thing that kept him from crying along with him. Although Burr was friendly and polite to both patients, Alexander liked to think he was not quite as cheerful as he was when he greeted Alexander. Burr's smile was brighter when her looked at Alexander, and he found excuses to linger with him for nearly an hour. None of the other doctors lingered as long with their patients. It was not until he had to scrub up for surgery that he squeezed Alexander on the shoulder and left him alone with his thoughts.

It could not have been more than an hour before the anesthetist came for Alexander, but he managed to to squeeze a full day's worth of terror into that hour. The longer he spent in hospital, the worse his anxiety grew. He hated every part of it. He hated the hospital gown and the too-narrow bed and the smell of antiseptic that hung in the air. Even ordinary things like the tick of the clock on the wall made him grind his teeth. Being in hospital for any reason frightened him; being there for dentistry was a thousand times worse.

After the surgery, Alexander woke up in a daze. The anaesthetic clouded his mind, and so for once he was content to sit still and quiet without any form of entertainment. The nurses left him to his own devices once they had established he was healthy and recovering as normal, so he had nothing to do but stare out the window. He could not say how long he sat there. Whether it was minutes or hours, he still jumped at the sound of the door opening. He recovered from his shock quickly, and his face lit up when he saw who had come to visit him.

"Burr! It's you! What are you doing here?"

"I thought I should check in with you after the surgery," Burr said. He took a seat beside Alexander's bed. The smile on his face was as handsome as always, and Alexander forgot not to stare. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better now that you're here," Alexander said, beaming at him. He reached out and patted Burr's cheek affectionately. The gesture earned an embarrassed little cough from Burr, and he looked down and away from Alexander. Even though it was a rejection, Alexander was still delighted by the response. Burr was adorable. Alexander had just enough sense not to proclaim this aloud, and he praised himself for his restraint.

They passed a full hour together. Alexander rambled about whatever crossed his mind, from topics in the news to the weather to Eliza's latest baking disaster. The entire time, Burr looked at him with an inordinately indulgent smile. There was a warmth in his eyes that Alexander would swear was not there when Burr dealt with his other patients. Alexander was special. Burr did not deny this when Alexander pointed this out, a fact which brought Alexander great joy. It was not until Burr tried to leave that Alexander's face fell. He reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Don't go. I was lonely without you, Burr. There's no one to talk to and the nurse isn't even attractive, not like you are - all muscle and sharp edges, mm. Sexy. Bet you could hold me down if you wanted."

"Alexander, " Burr said. "Enough. That's inappropriate."

The words were sharp and curt enough that Alexander flinched. It took him a moment to think to let go of Burr's arm. It did not matter that Alexander's mind was clouded and hazy from the painkillers. He had crossed a line. Exactly when he had crossed it he wasn't sure, and that made his stomach sink even further. If he could not even tell when he had crossed the line between flirting and harassment, then he had much bigger problems on his hands than an angry Burr.

"I fucked up, didn't I?" he asked in a small voice. Burr did not say anything at first. He looked at Alexander with a neutral expression, weighing him up and judging him. It made Alexander want to hide under his blankets. He had little hope of passing whatever criteria he was being assessed against.

After what felt like an age, Burr sighed. "I'm not angry at you, Alexander. You can stop looking so pathetic."

"Hmph. You're pathetic," Alexander grumbled. That earned him a shadow of a smile.

"That doesn't even make any sense."

"You don't make any -"

Alexander stopped when Burr held up a hand to silence him.

"Enough. I can see you're recovering well. I know your opinion on dentists. I won't presume to impose on you any longer."

"But you're not a real dentist," Alexander said earnestly. "You're not old and grumpy and evil. You're a person."

"I'm well aware I'm a person, Alexander."

There was a note in Burr's voice Alexander could not identify, but the smile on his face convinced him not to worry about it. He grinned up at Burr. He made no attempt to hide the admiration in his tone when he said,

"Of course you are. You're so smart, nearly as smart as me."

Burr let out a sigh that was far too long-suffering for Alexander's liking. Didn't he realize he'd just been paid a huge compliment?

"There aren't many people that smart," Alexander told him seriously. "You're special. You're clever and funny and handsome and I don't know why you're laughing but wow, you have a really nice laugh. "

"Thank you, Alexander," Burr said, straight-faced but for the way his lips quirked to the side as if they were being drawn into a smile. "I'm just glad you're in a good mood despite the situation."

"It's because you're here," Alexander told him. The idea that he might regret his words did not even occur to him. A full day would pass before the effects of the anesthetic faded enough for him to have that kind of foresight. "Am I your favourite patient?"

"I'm not sure I should be commenting on -"

Burr did not get to finish his statement before Alexander interrupted him.

"I bet I'm your favourite. I'm great. Damn, you don't even know how great I am. I'm even better when I'm not scared. You're missing out on so much."

Before Burr could answer, one of the nurses stepped into the cubicle formed by the curtains around Alexander's bed. "Doctor Burr, Mr Hamilton's friend is here to take him home. He's clear to be discharged whenever you sign hi out."

"I was just on my way out, " Burr assured the nurse. "Alexander is free to go as soon as he's managed to drink something. Oh - and remember, Alexander, no solid food for a week."

Before Alexander could protest, Burr was gone. Alexander had ten whole minutes to sulk before Eliza came in. She rushed to his side, putting an arm around his shoulder.

"You look every bit as miserable as I expected," she said. Guilt was written all over her face. She had blamed herself for Alexander's ongoing dental woes. It did not help that no one had contradicted her when she had first claimed responsibility: it was, after all, her baking that had broken Alexander's tooth. Alexander was not so sure she could be blamed for the rest of it. Burr had taken him through the source of every last one of Alexander's dental problems, and none of them could be attributed to Eliza. He said none of this, because Eliza had completely missed the reason Alexander was sulking.

"Burr left," he whined. "I was telling him how great I am and he left."

Eliza laughed. She had a pretty laugh, and there was a sparkle of mischief in her eyes that Alexander adored. They may not have worked as a couple, but he could hardly believe how lucky he was to call her his friend.

"You're awfully upset about him leaving. I thought you hated dentists?" Eliza teased.

"I do. They're evil heartless sadists. But not Burr. He's funny and smart and handsome, Eliza, why did no one warn me he was going to be so handsome?"

"He is handsome," Eliza conceded. "And he is very polite. I met him on the way out, you know."

"Did he say anything about me?" Alexander asked. He leaned forward a little, anxious to hear her response. Eliza shrugged.

"He did say you couldn't have solid food, so I gave him the cookies I'd made. It didn't seem fair to bring them in when you couldn't eat them."

Alexander was torn. On one hand, Burr had spared him from more of Eliza's baking. At the same time, he was gripped by a dreadful fear. What if the cookies were as bad as the scones that had broken Alexander's tooth? Burr's perfect teeth and perfect smile would be ruined, and it would all be Alexander's fault. He wondered if he should call Burr and warn him.

Before he could do anything rash, a nurse came through and distracted him with hospital release forms. He forgot all about Burr and Eliza's baking. He did not forget that she had met Burr, and he pestered her for her opinion all the way home. It was only when she coaxed him out of the car and into his own apartment that he realised he had spent the entire car ride rambling.

The living space of Alexander's apartment usually sat cold and empty. He rarely went home to do anything more than sleep and shower. A television took up a large portion of one wall, but it had not been switched on in months. Today was different. His friends filled the sterile space with warmth and laughter. Laurens had taken up residence in the kitchen, filling Alexander's fridge with pureed soup and enough mashed potatoes to feed an army. Lafayette watched his every move, critiquing his cooking and complaining about American food. His suggestions were ignored. Despite Lafayette's insistence that his way (the French way) was better, Lafayette had a habit of setting whatever he was cooking alight. His constant interference led to petty bickering as Laurens tried to work around him. Hercules and Angelica watched from a safe distance, neither of them bothering to hide their amusement at the arguments.

A lump of emotion stuck in Alexander's throat. Despite his terror, he knew there was nothing objectively dangerous about having his wisdom teeth removed. His friends had no reason to worry about him. But they had, because they had known that dangerous or not, Alexander would need their support. They settled Alexander in the middle of the sofa. He was surrounded by so many pillows and blankets that he had no idea how he was supposed to move, but he could not deny being comfortable.

"We decided to have a movie night. We can get started as soon as the live entertainment finishes, " Hercules told him with a nod towards the chaos in the kitchen. "I tried to distract Lafayette, but you know how he gets. "

Alexander nodded in agreement. There were very few things Hercules could not distract Lafayette from, but pride was one of them. For a while he watched the entertainment, but after a few minutes he grew bored. Under ordinary circumstances, there would have been nothing Alexander could do. Lafayette hung on Hercules every word. If he would not listen to Hercules, the odds that he would listen to Alexander were low; but this time, Alexander had an edge. He let out a theatrical groan.

"Lafayette, I need your help," he called in French. Blaming the effects of hours general anaesthetic, Alexander made a series of requests to keep him busy. His plan was a resounding success. With Lafayette distracted, John was able to complete the cooking in record time. In less than an hour they were settled on the couch and watching the opening credits roll. Alexander did not see much beyond the opening credits. Pain and exhaustion got the better of him, and Alexander fell asleep nestled amongst his closest friends.

Alexander's recovery after the surgery was swift. Two months passed before he found himself standing in Doctor Burr's office for the final time. His dental problems were at last resolved. His wisdom teeth were out, his cavities filled and old fillings repaired. Best of all, a replacement tooth had been inserted where his had snapped. The fake was perfect in every way: it was indistinguishable from his other teeth, strong enough that it would not break, and required no extra maintenance on Alexander's part. The only flaw was the price. That single tooth cost Alexander thousands.

"Well," Alexander said as the visit came to an end. "I guess this is the last time we'll see each other."

"For six months, at least. You're not off the hook with regular check ups, " Burr said. His usual smile was there, but Alexander thought there was something like regret in his voice.

"Do you want to," Alexander started, but he stopped cold when he realized what he had been going to say. He bit his lip. Even if he was Burr's favourite patient, he had no reason to believe the other man would tolerate being asked on a date. Burr was there to do his job. It was Alexander's responsibility to deal with this crush on his own.

Silence followed until Burr's curious look prompted Alexander to say, "I mean, should I make another appointment?"

Burr nodded. Something in the way he hesitated to respond suggested to Alexander that Burr was still suspicious. His eyes followed Alexander as he moved around the room collecting his things. The moment seemed to crawl past. Each passing second added to Alexander's rising mortification. It was one thing to be rejected, but it was another thing entirely to realise how close he had come to overstepping a significant boundary. One did not ask someone out while they were at work. They could not escape the interaction and might not feel comfortable saying no; Angelica had drilled that rule into him so thoroughly he did not dare cross it.

In the doorway, he stopped one last time. He and Burr made eye contact. The world seemed to slow to a halt, but a moment later Alexander was jolted back into reality by the arrival of Burr's next patient. Alexander shuffled out to the reception to pay, unnoticed and unmissed.

"I blew it," Alexander lamented later that night. He had organised drinks with his friends well in advance to celebrate his last dental appointment. Despite having good reason to celebrate, Alexander's mood was sour. He spent the afternoon reviewing his final interaction with Burr in exquisite detail. It took just an hour for him to find a hundred little things he had done wrong. Another hour had brought another hundred, and another, until Alexander could barely think without cringing at his own memories. It had taken two drinks to get his mind to slow down. Now that he was well on his way through his fourth beer, and the regret was welling back up.

"I had a chance to ask out the sexiest man alive, and I chickened out."

"It's not like you don't have his contract information," Eliza pointed out. Alexander snorted.

"Because that would go so well. Hi, is this smile more dental clinic? I'd like to make an appointment to pound Doctor Burr's ass. Is he available this Saturday?"

Alexander's outburst won him a round of raucous laughter from his friends, but it did nothing to solve his problem. There was no solution to his problem. Alexander had no choice but to wait for his crush to pass. He could only hope that, with Doctor Burr out of his life for the next few months, he would forget about the other man quickly. He had little hope of that happening tonight. Alexander's crass comment had been taken as a challenge by some of his friends. Laurens and Hercules seized the opportunity and began firing out comments of their own at an alarming rate. After the third joke about dentists making him scream, Alexander ordered another beer.

"You brought this on yourself, you know," Eliza told him. Her lips were twisted in a close-lipped smile, a sure sign she was struggling not to laugh. Alexander sighed. If Eliza was against him, there was no hope of the evening providing any sympathy. In a better mood, Alexander would have joined in on the jokes, but his embarrassment from earlier in the day was still too near. There was nothing left for him to do but drink his beer and sulk.

For the next month, Alexander found himself thinking of Burr more often than he would like. Little things reminded him of him. When Eliza made cookies, he thought of how much Burr had laughed at Alexander's stories about Eliza's baking disasters. That would start him thinking about Burr's laugh and how much more he had started to laugh around Alexander in the past couple of months. Alexander could not say if the change was due to him or Burr. He liked to think Burr was warming up to him, but it could also be Alexander's behaviour that had changed. He had flirted and joked and tried every trick in the book to make Burr like him. He would try to remember interesting things throughout the week to share. The habit stayed even after he stopped seeing Burr, and he found himself frustrated by the dozens of witticisms and clever compliments that swirled in his head with no way out.

Two months later, Alexander thought he had put all thoughts of Burr behind him. As a result, he was caught entirely off-guard when he heard Burr's voice at the supermarket. Alexander panicked. It was 11 am on a Saturday morning, and counter to Alexander's claims of leading an exciting life, he was at the supermarket in his tracksuit pants. His trolley was filled with frozen meals and sugary cereal, and he had to resist the wild urge to cover it up with fruit and toothpaste. Before he could, Burr stepped around the corner.

Unlike Alexander, Burr did not look like a walking disaster. His slacks were nearly pressed, his sweater was free of coffee stains, and Burr himself seemed as composed and respectable as ever. All those things would have been enough to make Alexander tense with feelings of inadequacy, but there was something still worse about the scene. Burr looked happier than Alexander had ever seen him. He was laughing at something his companion had said, laughing so hard he had to lean against his shopping cart for support. Alexander had just resolved to sneak away before he was noticed when Burr caught his eye. Burr gestured for him to come over. Helpless, Alexander shuffled down the aisle.

"Alexander, I'd like you to meet Theodosia. Theodosia, this is Alexander. "

Somehow Alexander's heart sank even further at the words. Theodosia. Burr's beloved partner, the woman he had described with such admiration. She was taller than Burr (taller than Alexander, too), dressed head to toe in bright, fashionable clothes. At the best of times, Alexander would have found her intimidating, but there was something about the sly smile curving over her lips that terrified him. He could see why Burr often deferred to her judgement. There was something about her that gave the impression of knowing too much, although Alexander could not put his finger on what it was.

"So this is the famous Alexander, " she said. There was mischief in her eyes, and Burr flinched a little. "Aaron has told me a lot about you."

Alexander had never let himself refer to Burr with his given name, but now that he knew it he could not get it out of his head. He glanced at Burr - Aaron - and felt his head spin. Yes, Aaron suited him. Even in moments like this, when he avoided Alexander's eyes and kept a painfully straight face. He was embarrassed, Alexander was sure, although he could not begin to fathom why.

"He speaks very highly of you, " Alexander said. Theodosia laughed.

"He'd better. He'd be in trouble if he didn't."

"Theodosia," Burr started, but Theodosia interrupted him.

"I'll leave you two to catch up. And Aaron? This is your chance."

Theodosia left with a wink and a smile, leaving Alexander floundering. As confused as he was, Alexander couldn't stop a little spark of hope from flaring in his chest. Burr did not seem the type to make small talk with ordinary customers. All Alexander's teasing about being Burr's favourite patient must have a kernel of truth to it. Maybe they were even friends. Alexander thought he could learn to like that, once he got over his crush.

"How have you been?" Burr asked him. There was a smile on his face, but Alexander thought his voice sounded strained.

"I've been good. Busy. George has been glad to have me back in the office on Fridays."

"I'm sure. It's been strange not having you about. I'm not used to my afternoons being so peaceful."

"Peaceful? Or boring? I'm pretty sure you mean boring," Alexander said. His tone was more aggressive than he had intended, and he had to hide a wince. Burr's smile warmed. If Alexander didn't know better, he would have thought Burr was amused by his outburst.

"You might be right. Your perspective on life certainly is intriguing."

"Intriguing, hm? Is that good or bad?"

"I'm not sure yet," Burr said. Alexander felt pinned under the intensity of his gaze, as though all the air had been stolen from the room. "Maybe we could get dinner together and you could convince me."

Alexander's heart leapt. Despite his excitement, he heard himself ask, "What would your partner think?"

The look Burr gave him was incomprehensible. He looked baffled, as though Alexander had said something entirely nonsensical. After a few seconds, a smile spread across his face, until finally he started to laugh. It was a bright, happy laughter that grew louder each time he glanced at Alexander. After a few awkward seconds, Alexander felt the need to speak.

"I think I might be missing something," Alexander admitted. Burr grinned at him.

"Business partner."

"What?"

"Theodosia - _Doctor_ Theodosia Prevost - is my business partner," Burr said. Alexander gaped at him. When it became clear Alexander had been shocked into silence, he continued.

"We started the surgery together three years ago. She’s my best friend, yes, but she's not my girlfriend.”

“Oh my God,” Alexander said. His mind replayed previous conversations at lightning speed. For once, Alexander found himself forgiving his own mistake: Burr had given him plenty of reason to be confused. Judging from how quickly Burr had known what Alexander had meant by partner, it was likely a common mistake. He wondered how often it happened. Less than a second later, he tossed the thought aside as a wicked grin spread across his face.

“Does this mean I get to use all my mouth related pickup lines?”

Burr groaned, covering his face with his hand. “Please, don’t. It takes four years to go through dental school. That’s plenty of time to exhaust all possible jokes.”

“What about -”

“Alexander. Don’t make me regret asking you out to dinner.”

“I haven’t said yes, yet,” Alexander said, before internally cursing himself. This was his problem, his mouth ran faster than even his mind, and Alexander Hamilton had never missed a chance to be contrary in his life. Luckily for him, Burr gave a snort of laughter at the denial. Under different circumstances, Alexander might have been alarmed at his confidence - but, given he had already nearly ruined things once, he decided to keep his mouth shut for once. He distracted himself by watching Burr’s mouth. His lips had curled up into a cocky smirk, showing just a flash of white teeth when he laughed. Before Alexander could say anything, Burr pulled out his wallet and a pen and scrawled something on the back of a business card. He stepped forward, into Alexander’s space. The feeling of having Burr so close made Alexander’s breath catch in his throat. He was so close Alexander could smell cologne and a trace of mint on his breath.

“This is my personal number. In case you decide to take me up on that date,” Burr said. He made eye contact with Alexander gave him a playful grin, “We don’t want you calling the surgery for that.”

“Why write it down? I have my phone right here, I can -”

Alexander’s train of thought derailed as Burr brushed his lips against his cheek. He pulled back, smug. “Talk less, Alexander. Or think before you talk.”

A shiver ran down Alexander’s spine. He watched Burr walk away with a swagger, his heart pounding in his chest. He had to hand it to Burr: the card routine may feel outdated, but it worked. Alexander couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so skillfully maneuvered. It was several minutes before Alexander’s pulse returned to normal and the flush disappeared from his face. He left the supermarket with a bounce in his step and a grin on his face. He debated waiting to text Burr, making him sweat a little, before he put such childish games out of his head. He'd nearly missed out on Burr once. He was not going to let it happen again.

**Author's Note:**

> This dentist AU has been compiled over the course of a year on my phone, written on the train, in meetings, and of course in the dentist's waiting room. Even though I've proofread it twice, I'm sure there will be plenty of errors I've missed. Please point out anywhere autocorrect has decided to publically humiliate me.


End file.
